Nurturing Faith Ideas are weekly suggestions and activities from the Presbytery's Nurture Committee to link worship and home and to nurture faith development in the family. They are intended for all ages and family types. Add one to your bulletin each week or put them in your monthly newsletter. They could also be sent via email or added to a Facebook page.
Ideas for the entire year can be found here.

January 28

In 1 Corinthians 8:2-3, we learn "Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God." How would you explain these verses to someone new to God?

February 4

This week show the care and compassion Jesus demonstrated by sharing a smile, your seat on a bus, a hug, or maybe a hot meal with a stranger or a neighbor. This may be just what they need to make their day.

February 11

Our transformation may not be as dramatic as Jesus', but take time this week to transform something in your life. Consider improving your prayer life, changing your attitude, or maybe just smiling more often.

I met some of my closest friends in ministry during first year executive training. The Presbyterian Church does a much better job now of bringing together those who are in their first three years of serving as presbytery leaders and providing them with mentors and coaching. When I started, they just brought us together to listen to and learn from those who had already been serving in similar positions. I shouldn't diminish that training; it was invaluable, and I learned a lot. What I remember most, though, are the conversations we had over meals and at the end of the day.

I don't remember the context, but I clearly recall Dana Lindsley, who was the executive in the Presbytery of Southern New England, saying that he felt like he was a midwife for a new kind of church that was being born. That image has stuck with me for more than a decade. It still feels true. A new kind of church, as well as a new kind of presbytery, is being born. We don't know exactly what it's going to look like, but we know the old ways no longer work. Or perhaps it's better to say the old ways don't work as well as they used to. And we are scrambling to adapt.

Certainly, we can learn from the past. We have to. But repeating the patterns of the past no longer seems to produce the same results. Click here to read more

The Expanding Your Ministry Toolbox workshop Evangelism: Living as "Sent" People has been rescheduled for a day later. It will now be held Friday, March 16 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Presbytery office.

Ray Jones, the Acting Director of Theology, Formation and Evangelism for the PC(USA), will lead the course, which is designed to help people live into the fullest expression of the gospel. Participants will explore their own faith stories and what it means to join God in what God is doing in their communities, consider who they are as "sent" people and get to know their neighborhoods.

The cost per person is $75. Participants are encouraged to read "Engage the Gospel, the Participant's Book" which can be ordered here. For more information and to register, click here.

My CRE Experience: John Yeager

This is the first in a series highlighting PWV's Authorized Lay Preacher/Commissioned Ruling Elder Program. In September, we begin a new set of Presby Prep courses, which are prerequisites for this program. Click here for more information about Presby Prep. Is God tugging at your heart to participate? Presby Prep is a great way to learn more.

In 1978, after making a decision for Christ and coming back to the faith of my childhood at the age of 24, I was baptized. The morning after, I awoke to a room full of radiant light. At that point, I did not know the difference between a "call" and the whisper of a still small voice. The memory of that morning hounded me for 30 years.

In 2004, I was an elder at Bates Memorial, and Rev. Dana Sutton asked me to lead worship. Rev Arvie Maynard gave me an example as someone who left his engineering job, received his divinity degree and became a pastor. Arvie also had me placed on the Nominating Committee. I was able to learn about the liturgy and the workings of the Presbytery.

Pat Collier asked me to join him in the ALP/CRE training, but at the time, family health issues made it impossible. In 2009, a new class was offered. Click here to read more

As prices for solar energy systems go down, communities and individuals are finding cost-effective ways to add solar to augment their current fossil fuel-based systems. Solar lights are a good example.

Many people add small solar lights along their outdoor paths to provide low-cost lighting that is not powered by fossil fuel. One Stewardship of Creation Ministry Team member used only solar lights for her outdoor Christmas display. Communities are also finding that solar-powered lighting can be cost effective along walking trails and streets.

Here in West Virginia, residents of Charleston's Fort Hill neighborhood petitioned the city to provide a streetlight for Fort Scammon Park, their neighborhood park and the site of a Civil War fort, due to concerns about increased littering and loitering. Click here to read more

Gilbert Presbyterian Church answers Jay Nunley's call

By Mike Givler, Synod of the Trinity

Jay Nunley address kids during Children's Time at Gilbert Presbyterian

Many pastors have taken round-about ways to reach their calling. However, Jay Nunley may have one of the more unique paths to the pulpit, a journey that has happened quickly and that has also occurred in a rather unorthodox way.

Jay is currently the lay pastor at
Gilbert Presbyterian Church in Gilbert, WV. He has been preaching most Sundays there since his service of affirmation in late October. Jay does not preach on Sundays when there is communion because he's not ordained. In fact, Jay has not spent one day in seminary (he's not even a college graduate), nor has he completed CRE training. But despite the holes in his pastoral resume, Jay has made a strong connection with the people at Gilbert.
Click here to read more

Prayer Concerns

Kate Fife, wife of former Presbytery Moderator Randy Fife, is having surgery today at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota as she continues to recover from the brain aneurysm she suffered in August. Please keep her, Randy and their family in your prayers.

Leonard Hood, an Honorably Retired member of the Presbytery, has been hospitalized for health problems, including with his heart. Please keep him and his wife, Willa, in your prayers.

Donald Kilbert, the father of Riverlawn Presbyterian Church pastor Chris Kilbert, had surgery earlier this month to remove a large section of his colon due to the discovery of a malignant tumor. A kink in his bowel was also discovered, which will require more surgery. On top of this, test results show the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes, so after his second surgery and recovery, he will begin chemotherapy. Please keep Donald, Chris and their family in your prayers.

Elizabeth Stone, the pastor at Bradley Presbyterian Church, has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo surgery and follow-up treatment in mid-February. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

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Sympathies

Ken Anderson, the Vice-Moderator for Quadrant IV in 1994-95,
passed away on January 8 at age 101. He was the husband of Jane Anderson, who was the first administrator for the Presbytery of the Greenbrier and also served as the treasurer.

Jane, who still lives in North Carolina, met Ken at First Presbyterian Church of Charleston, and they married in 1944.

A memorial service was held on January 12 at the Carolina Village Retirement Community in Hendersonville, NC. Donations in Ken's memory can be made to The Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville, NC 28792; or The Staff Scholarship Fund at Carolina Village, 600 Carolina Village Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792.

Presbyterian Women anniversary survey

The PC(USA)'s Presbyterian Women is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and as part of the observance, they are conducting a survey for members and friends to reflect on the highlights of their involvement. If you wish to participate, click here to take the survey.

Rev. Paul Romine, who has been the pastor at First Presbyterian Church of St. Albans for 15 years, will retire at the end of this month. On Sunday, the church is hosting a celebration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to mark this retirement after his dedicated service.

The church is located at 201 Kanawha Terrace in St. Albans. For more information, call 304-727-2241.

Presented by the Insurance Board and Praesidium, this free hour-long webinar will discuss what sexual harassment is, how it manifests itself in congregations and how to respond in the current legal landscape. The presenter will share case studies and answer questions. Click here to register.

2018 Youth Day of Service Service: MISSION POSSIBLE

Feb. 10 in three locations in WV

The 2018 Youth Day of Service, for youth in grades 6-12 and their adult advisors, will be held in three locations across the presbytery - Bridgeport Presbyterian Church; Old Stone Presbyterian Church, Lewisburg; and Village Chapel Presbyterian Church, Charleston (with South Park Presbyterian Church assisting). This will be an opportunity to join with other youth across the presbytery in a time of service and mission.

Information and registration forms, along with covenants and medical forms, can be found here. Please contact Susan Sharp Campbell (304-645-4568 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com) with any questions.

The new Lay Academy of Religion class, The Aging Brain, will begin on Sunday, February 18, focusing on what happens in the brain as we age.
The course, taught by Dr. Robert G. Newman, meets weekly through May 13, with the exception of April 1. Class runs 4-5:30 p.m. Sundays in the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston's activities building dining room.

Each class begins with a half-hour DVD lecture, followed by a panel discussion with local professionals. Click here for a flyer with all topics and their dates.

The Lay Academy is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, call the church office at 304-343-8961 or Newman at 304-345-0225.

2018 Educator, Clergy, CRE Retreat

Feb. 19-20. Register by Feb. 5.

The 2018 Educator, Clergy, CRE Retreat will be held Monday, February 19-Tuesday, February 20 at Hawks Nest State Park. The focus will be "New, New Ways to Tell the Old, Old Story" with presenter Tracy Radosevic, a professional biblical storyteller. Christian educators, Ministers and Commissioned Ruling Elders are encouraged to attend, along with their spouses.
Click here for more information. Please note this event has a limited audience.

Work as Worship live streaming event

Feb. 23, streaming locally at Riverlawn

This one-day retreat, where influential leaders and pastors will discuss what it looks like to connect faith and work, is being web-streamed live on February 23 to more than 2,000 churches nationally, including Riverlawn Presbyterian Church in St. Albans.
The event runs 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. and includes lunch.

The Younger Youth Retreat for those in grades 6-8 and their adult advisors will be held Friday, March 2-Sunday, March 4 at Cedar Lakes Conference Center. This retreat will focus on some of the building blocks of our faith that help us get through times of doubt, struggle and uncertainty.

The cost per person is $75, and the registration deadline is Thursday, February 15. Complete registration information can be found
here. Please post this information where youth, parents, grandparents and others who work with youth can see it.

Website 101 workshop: Learn how to create and manage a church website

March 10 in Charleston (exact location TBD)

On Saturday, March 10, the Presbytery will host a free workshop on website creation and management by former PWV minister Frank Cunningham, representing Union Presbyterian Seminary. The workshop, similar to one the Presbytery offered in 2014, will teach participants how to use Wordpress to set up and manage a website for their church or organization.

To help us gauge the interest level and determine the size of the location required, please contact Amy Robinson at 304-744-7634 or office@wvpresbytery.com by February 20 if you plan to attend.

LOGOS Encounter Training

March 17 at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston

On Saturday, March 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be an opportunity for anyone interested in providing a weekly intergenerational program designed to nurture children and youth in faith. LOGOS, part of GenOn Ministries, is designed to work in churches of all sizes and settings as it provides opportunities for children and youth to build relationships with adults in the church as well as experience study, fellowship, worship and a shared meal as a child of God and disciple of Jesus Christ.

Event participants will experience the four parts of LOGOS and the why behind each; understand why there is a strong on emphasis on relationships; discover a biblical process of calling volunteers to assist and staff the LOGOS program; and network with others who share similar joys and challenges in nurturing people in faith.

If you are in need of financial assistance, the presbytery has some scholarship funds available through the Nurture Committee. You will find an application
here.

Looking for a good opportunity for a retreat in a beautiful part of our state with some very good people? The Stewardship of Creation Ministry Team invites you to join them in attending the second annual State of Appalachia Conference at Pipestem Resort State Park on March 23-24. The conference will focus on the spiritual, economic and ecological state of the Appalachian region and ways to restore it. Click here for more information and to register.

Festival of Faith: Moving into God's Future

April 7. Early bird registration through March 12.

This year's Festival of Faith, a day of learning opportunities, fellowship and worship, will be held Saturday, April 7 at First Presbyterian Church, Charleston. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., and things kick off at 9:30 a.m. with worship.

Jan Edmiston, Co-Moderator of the 222nd General Assembly of the PC(USA), will be the keynote presenter, speaking on "The State of the PC(USA): The Good, the Bad, the Ugly." There will also be a wide variety of workshops to choose from, several of our mission/ministry partners to hear from, a bookstore and fair trade coffee and other items for sale.

Click here for complete information and registration, which is also on the website. If you or someone you know would like to receive a copy by snail mail, please let the presbytery office know.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS and PLAN TO BE PRESENTfor this EXCITING EVENT!

Montreat Youth Conference II

June 9-16. Register by March 31.

Montreat Youth Conferences provide opportunities for youth in our churches to connect with hundreds of high school youth from across the country to engage in faith conversations through keynote, worship, small groups, fellowship and recreation.

Youth currently in grades 8-12 are encouraged to join the presbytery's delegation. The cost per person is $350, with $175 due at registration. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis until the deadline of March 31.
Click here for information and a registration form.
Please contact Susan Sharp Campbell at 304-645-4568 or susan_sharp_campbell@hotmail.com with questions.

Many of our churches have already made a pledge for 2018. Please check with your pastor and/or clerk of session to see that your church has returned their pledge card to this office and, if not, please do so at your earliest convenience.

2018 IRS Standard Mileage

On December 14, the IRS announced the following changes to the standard mileage rates. Beginning January 1, 2018, the standard mileage rates for the use of cars, vans, pickups or panel trucks is:

- 54.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 53.5 cents for 2017

- 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up from 17 cents for 2017

- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

Important Dates for Employee Tax Forms

FILING DEADLINES FOR W-2 & W-3 Tax Forms

* Furnish W-2 Copies B, C & 2 to employees on or before

JANUARY 31, 2018.

* If you file using paper forms, you must file Copy A of Form W-2 with Form W-3 by
JANUARY 31, 2018.

* The due date for e-filing Form W-2 with the SSA is
JANUARY 31, 2018.

Employers have one filing deadline for all Federal W-2s:

JANUARY 31, 2018. This is true for both employee and agency copies, and whether filing paper or electronic returns.

FILING DEADLINES FOR 1099 & 1096 Tax forms

* Furnish 1099 Copy B to recipients on or before
JANUARY 31, 2018.

* The due date for 1099-MISC, if amounts are reported in boxes 8 or 14, is
FEBRUARY 15, 2018.

* File Form 1099-MISC, Copy A with the IRS by
JANUARY 31, 2018 if you are reporting non-employee compensation in box 7 using either paper or electronic filing procedures.

* If you file using paper forms, you must file Copy A of Form 1099 with Form 1096 by
JANUARY 31, 2018.

* The due date for e-filing Form 1099 with the IRS is
APRIL 2, 2018.

If you have any questions, contact PWV Treasurer/Financial Administrator Rocky Poole at treasurer@wvpresbytery.org or
304-744-7644.

We invite you to print and include this newsletter in your bulletins, give it to your congregation and distribute widely. We hope it is helpful for your congregation and community.

"I first started attending their annual events (in 1976), and found that it was a wonderful community and a wonderful place to network with wonderful people," he recalled. "I always learned something. They always had wonderful keynote speakers."

The Beech Tree, the Friends of Bluestone newsletter, is now electronic. If you wish to receive it, go here to sign up.

*Also on the webpage

You will find located on the Home page of the website (scroll down past the banner and grant buttons) direct links to recent newsletters, the Pray-For church list and Nurturing Faith Ideas for 2017 and more. Please let us know how we can improve the website and whenever you encounter any problem with it. Thank you.

Editor's Note:

In order to keep the PWV Newsletter
fresh, articles sent

for publication will generally run for two consecutive issues.

If you wish for a piece to continue to run, please resubmit.

We encourage you to reword, add a photo (or different photo),

or change the piece in some way so that the news stays

fresh and interesting.

Presbytery of West Virginia, 520 Second Avenue, South Charleston, WV 25303